I sniff a publicity stunt by the airport here: 'look - we promised you flights to here there and everywhere when the runway extension was open'.
Get a local travel agent to do the donkey work / they get the photo opportunity / publicity / everyone thinks the millions were well spent / the flights come....and go. Quietly.
Must confess the more you think about it the more this may be a correct observation.......
Manchester has way more tourist spots in its catchment !
Chester, N Wales Castles , Beatrix Potter and indeed Liverpool for The Beatles Tours are actually more popular, not just for Chinese but for Japanese and what of the Man Utd museum.....You could fill 30 charters alone !
Last time I was up there 3 coachloads turned up in an hour 180 pax ......there publicity material is actually in a number of languages including Japanese such is the volume !
The point is the bilaterial may be altered as civil servants "might" be sucked in by an artificial promise !
A coup by BHX and an almighty miss by MAN !